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Beginner Lessons
Learn the suits, tiles, racks, and basic rules in a relaxed, easy-to-follow lesson. No experience necessary.
Your take-home learning guide
The Mahjong Learning Center
Your illustrated, beginner-friendly reference for American Mahjong. Use it during class, review it afterward, or print a cheat sheet to keep beside your rack.
1. Meet the Three Suits
Each suit runs from 1 to 9, with four copies of each tile. The drawings below are simplified learning illustrations.
DotsCircles · 1–9
BamsBamboo · 1–9
CraksCharacters · 1–9
Tip: The 1 Bam is often shown as a bird instead of a bamboo stalk.
2. Know the Special Tiles
東
WindsEast, South, West, North · 4 each中
DragonsRed, green, white · 4 each✿
Flowers8 total · all interchangeableJ
Jokers8 total · limited wild tilesFor many NMJL card hands, red dragons go with Craks, green with Bams, and white with Dots.
3. Tile Groups
- Pair: 2 identical tiles
- Pung: 3 identical tiles
- Kong: 4 identical tiles
- Quint: 5 identical tiles (uses a joker)
- Sextet: 6 identical tiles (uses jokers)
In American Mahjong, your 14-tile winning hand must match one specific line on the current National Mah Jongg League (NMJL) card, including its required groupings.
4. Joker Cheat Sheet
- Jokers can substitute in groups of 3 or more identical tiles (pungs, kongs, quints, sextets).
- Jokers cannot be used in a single tile or pair.
- Jokers cannot be used in a NEWS grouping or a year grouping.
- During play, a joker in an exposed group can be exchanged for its matching natural tile, subject to the rules.
Real Mahjong Tiles — Complete Set
Study this photograph of a complete U.S.-style Mahjong tile set. Compare the numbered suits, Winds, Dragons, Flowers, and Jokers with the illustrated examples below.
This photo loads from Wikimedia Commons when you have an internet connection.
Visual Tile Identification Chart
These are simplified teaching drawings, not exact replicas of every Mahjong tile set. The artwork on your tiles may vary.
Dots
1 Dots
3 Dots
5 Dots
Bams
1 Bams
3 Bams
5 Bams
Craks
1 Craks
3 Craks
5 Craks
Special tile symbols
東East Wind
南South Wind
西West Wind
北North Wind
中Red Dragon
發Green Dragon
□White Dragon
✿Flower
JJoker
Pass with confidence
The Charleston — at a glance
Before regular play, players exchange unwanted tiles. Each pass is three tiles. Follow your instructor's direction for the first Charleston:
1→RightPass 3 tiles
2↑AcrossPass 3 tiles
3←LeftPass 3 tiles
Remember: Right → Across → Left. After the first Charleston, players may agree to a second Charleston: Left → Across → Right. The second Charleston can be stopped under the applicable rules. A courtesy pass across may follow.
These arrows are memory aids, not a seating diagram. Across means the player directly opposite you.
How a Game Works — 6 Easy Steps
- Set up: Four players build walls, determine East, and deal tiles. East begins with 14 tiles; the other players begin with 13.
- Read your card: Look for possible hands on the current year's NMJL card.
- The Charleston: Players pass tiles in a prescribed sequence before play. Your instructor will guide each pass; the optional second Charleston and courtesy pass depend on the table's decisions.
- Draw and discard: On your turn, draw a tile and discard one, keeping your hand moving toward a card pattern.
- Call a discard: You may call a discarded tile to expose a permitted grouping, or to declare Mahjong, following the rules. You cannot call a discard just to make a pair unless it completes Mahjong.
- Declare Mahjong: Complete an exact 14-tile hand shown on your card and announce “Mahjong!”
Keep beside your rack
Beginner Cheat Sheet
SUITS
Dots • Bams • Craks (1–9)
SPECIAL TILESWinds • Dragons • Flowers • Jokers
GROUPS
Pair = 2 · Pung = 3 · Kong = 4
Quint = 5 · Sextet = 6
Right → Across → Left
Optional second: Left → Across → Right
JOKERS
Allowed in groups of 3+ identical tiles. Not in pairs, singles, NEWS, or year groupings.
WINNINGMatch an exact 14-tile hand on the current NMJL card.
Remember: American Mahjong is different from other Mahjong variations. The NMJL card changes every year, and the official card and rules take precedence over this beginner summary. This guide is an independent teaching aid, not an official NMJL publication. Bring your current card to class.
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